- DirecTV will pay $16.85 million as the result of a class-action lawsuit settlement.
- An Ohio-based DirecTV dealer called over 100,000 people on the National Do Not Call Registry, sparking complaints.
DirecTV may owe you some money, and it takes less than 30 seconds to check.
The company recently settled a class-action lawsuit related to marketing calls made to people on the Do Not Call Registry and will pay out $16.85 million as a result, according to court documents.
The settlement is expected to offer roughly $460 per person for those making eligible claims, the plaintiffs wrote in their motion seeking the court's approval for the settlement.
"One of the criticisms of class actions is that the amount of money that people can claim is so small that it's not worth their time," John Barrett, an attorney representing the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, told Insider. "This one is not one of those settlements. This is a very substantial dollar amount."
The plaintiffs filed the lawsuit after Ohio-based dealer AC1 called 113,997 people on the National Do Not Call Registry. AC1 is an authorized retailer and distributor under DirecTV. The lawsuit, Vance v. DirecTV, took place in the US District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia.
How to check if you're eligible for a payout from DirecTV
It's easy to check — just head on over to DirecTVClassActionSettlement.com and click on the box on the right-hand side of the page that says "Phone Number Check."
You can then enter a phone number into the text box and check to see if it was impacted.
If you do qualify for repayment, you'll need to fill out a claim form to request compensation, no later than Aug. 7, 2023. You can do that by clicking the "submit claim" button above the "Phone Number Check" button and enter your phone number into the text box.
Diana Mey of Wheeling, West Virginia, who filed the initial lawsuit on December 11, 2017, said in the court documents that she received three telemarketing calls from DirecTV despite being on the Do Not Call Registry. She later filed three claims under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which exists to help protect people from excessive spam calls and telemarketing. David Vance, Roxy Vance and Carla Schultz, who later joined the suit, said they also received telemarketing phone calls despite being on do-not-call list.
The parties moved toward a settlement this year, and the court gave its preliminary approval in April.
If you would like to register for the National Do Not Call Registry, you can visit DoNotCall.Gov or call 1-888-382-1222 from the phone number you wish to register.